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Add Delight to the New Year

My Greatest Highlight of 2012

March 7, 2012—it was the beginning highlight for what would
become the delight of my year.

That evening, I had the joy to begin leading a young
Christian through our church’s formal discipleship program.

What is
discipleship?

It
is a front row seat in
seeing God’s Spirit bring growth.

It is a fresh
reminder of the depth and grace of God’s love.

It is spiritual
energy as you observe a tender heart for God and growth in His grace.

It is the
incredible opportunity to work with God’s Spirit in pressing the button to
watch a miracle of His grace unfold in a life.

It is the perfect
vantage point from which to watch God’s Word change a life…at the deepest
levels of the heart.

It is an
indescribable joy to participate with God in His work.

It is…my favorite
event of the week!

In
case you can’t tell, I love, love discipleship!
There is nothing like the energy of a growing Christian with a tender heart to
reinvigorate your own walk with the Lord. Something about watching baby steps
while giving everything within you to encourage those steps into a walk brings
one of the deepest joys I know.

Life’s Vital Priorities

The
greatest need in a young Christian’s life is spiritual growth. Without growth,
she will wither and fade.

This
means, the greatest priority in the mature Christian’s life is the spiritual
nurturing of young Christians. There is nothing quite like getting to lead a
soul to Christ. But it doesn’t end there! As Amy Carmichael said, “Converts are
a responsible joy.” With the new birth of a convert, our work has only begun!

The
young lady who I am currently leading through discipleship is actually not a
new convert. She was an orphaned convert. Saved some years ago, she never had
someone come alongside her to teach, guide, pray for, and encourage. And yet,
her heart was so open, so receptive, so hungry for spiritual nurturing.

Like
you, I have many responsibilities—personal, relational, family, work, and a
hundred more. But there is no priority in my life—except my own walk with God—that
should supersede this necessary investment in young lives.

Paul
demonstrated his priority on discipleship and his willingness to expend himself
to that end throughout his epistles.

And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you…—2
Corinthians 12:15

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth
her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have
imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because
ye were dear unto us. As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged
every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of
God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.—1 Thessalonians 2:7–8, 11–12

My Favorite Tool

Through
the years, I have used several different tools and methods in discipling new
believers. But I have never found one that I liked nearly as much as the Daily in the Word book which our
church uses.

To
begin with, the book is not meant to be completed in four or five sessions.
That alone is a plus, because it allows the discipler and the disciple to
develop a relationship through the course of months. As a discipler, I relish
the opportunity to invest in a young Christian throughout her early stages of
growth. A seven-lesson pamphlet may give scriptural basis for the tenents of
the faith; but it does not allow for developing the relationship that grounds a
new believer in truth.

In
fact, grounding is another reason I love the Daily in the Word program. Each of the ten lessons (and each lesson
takes well over a week—usually at least three weeks) includes many Scripture references. It is
designed for the discipling pair to look up each verse in the Bible together.
This method helps the disciple find her way around Scripture, and it assures
her that what we believe really does come from the pages of God’s Word.

As
you might guess from the title, the thrust of Daily in the Wordis to help young Christians establish a vibrant
relationship with the Lord that includes the spiritual discipline of daily Bible
study. Nobody develops that habit in a one or two-session meeting. It takes
months. And I am delighted for the opportunity to be part of the process.

A Beneficial Exchange

It
never ceases to amaze me that God gives us everything we need to do His
work…and then He blesses us for what He does
through us.

I
leave almost every discipleship session exhausted and fully expended, yet
saying to myself, “This is living!”
Truly, there is no greater joy than serving the Lord by investing in others who
continue in the truth.

“I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 4). But they never walk if no
one teaches them to take the first steps!

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